Automatic can-end-feed mechanism.



' 1. A: GRAY.

AUTOMATIC cm END fEED MECHANISM.- APPLICATION FILED an. I6. 1914.

1,162.1 5 Patented Nov. 30, 191:1

WITNESSES INVENTOR/ W BY 3-. Q

I ATORNEY I A. GRAY. AUTOMATIC CAN END FEED MECHANISM.

X APPLICATION HLED APR. 16. F914- 1,162,156-

Pat ented Nov. 30, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- WITNESSES J'AJHES A. GRAY, OF SAN FRANCISCQ,GALIEFOB-NIA, ASSIGNQE TC AMER/1043K COMPANY, GE SAN FRANCISCG,CALIFORNIA, AfiORPGRATION 3 NEE? JERSEY.

AUTOMATIC CABFEHD-FEEI HECHfitl TISN.

mama-unau- Application filed April 16, rem.

from a stack of such ends or heads and de livering the same to anysuitable structure or associated instrumentality designed to receive thesame, the said feed mechanism being more especially utilized for thefeeding of what is. known as curled flanged can ends or heads, althoughits use is not restricted to such type of heads; the object of theinvention being to provide a simple, inexpensive, durable and eficientstructural apparatus for expeditiously and accurately removing thelowermost end or head from a stack of such ends or heads, and onewherein the construction and interworking of the associated parts issuch that the entire stack of the ends or heads, with the exception ofthe lowermost one of the said stack, is first bodily lifted or raised agiven distance to clear the lowermost end or head of the staclc whichreleased end or head is then removed from the holder for the stack ofends or heads and delivered to a suitable place of deposit. after whichthe entire stack of the raised ends or heads is gradually lowered orrestored to position within the holder.

To comprehend the invention. reference should be had to the accompanyingsheets of drawings. wherein Figure 1 is a view in side elevation. partlybroken away. illustrating the can end or head holder. the recipr w*atin;teed slide. the

means for operating the same. the position of one of [he cut out bladesa tuated by the movements of the feed slide. and themcans for receivingthe end or head removed from the stark within the holder therefor. Fig".2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the parts sot forth-in Fig. 1 ofthe drawings. with the food slide in its advanced position and theactuating necbanism for the said slide broken away. Fig. I) is a planview disclosing. the improved can end orhead feed mechanism o'l Fig. ofthe drawings, illustrating the cutout blades in open position-and theSpecification of Letters izatent.

bracket 3, Fig. of the drawings,

Patented New. Serial no. 832,263.

feed slide drawn outwardly its full distance. Fig. 4, is a similar viewwith the out out blades in closed position and the feed slideillustrated as ren'ioving from the holder and delivering to itsassociated instrunientality the lowermost end or head of the stack ofcan ends or heads. Fig. 5 is a cross sectionai ViEW taken on lineEll--56 F 4 of the drawings and viewed in the direction cit-tie arrows.

In the drawings, the nuinerai 1 is used to I designate any suitable formof a supporting structure for sustaining the working part-s of the appa'atus, carrying, in the present case, at its upper end portion, a tablesection 2 and an outwardly projected supporting bracket 3. The bracket 3supports the can end holder 4, in which is held a stack of horizontallydisposed can ends 'or heads 5, each of which in the present is formedwith an incuried edge flanged portion The lowermost end or head of teeste l: within the holder 4 rests on and is support ed by the bracket 3in horizontai alinenn with a transverse can end or head open 7 formed bythe plate 8 attached to the frame 1 so as to lie aslight distance abovethe horizontal plane (liillile table 52. v

To the upper face of the bracket 13 the spaced. arms .9 and 9' are iulorumed by the pins 10 to swing horizontally (Figs. 55, 3 and i of thedrawings)- and the inner nd. of each arm tcrin-inatine in a beveledblade section 11 and said arms are conne ted at their outer end portionby the spring 19, in

order that the blade section otthe arms will be held normally separatedtheir-full distance. To the outer end of each swinging arm is secured adepcnrlingg roll 13, which rolls are held in. contact by the pressure ofthe spring with the edge surface ot' a. horizontally reciprocating:slide plate 14-, which slide plate works within a guide-way ii" formedin face of the supporti position of the said slide plate 14- such. thatits inner edge is in line with the ended edge of the can end or head 5resting on the surface of the said supporting bracket 5.

To a short stud 15 depending from the outer end of the slide 14-isconnected by a link 16, the upper end of a lever 17. which lever isfulcrumed, to a bracket 18 projectin; from the bottom portion of theframe i,-Fi". 1 of the drawings, and at its lower and the end the saidlever 17 4 carries aprojecting roll- 19, which roll works within anirregular shaped guide groove 20,;formed in the cam 21 secured to'the.drive shaft 22 working in 1 suitable bearingsanddriven by any suitablemeans, as, for instance, by a power belt working over a belt pulley 23secured on the shaft22. V

The can ends orheads 5 as removed successively from the stack orfe nd'sor head's contained within theholder '4, are delivered throughthe-passageway? onto-the table 2, and into one of a-seriesofisemi-circular seats 24, cut in the periphe'ry' of a horizontallyrotatable tiarret 25 working'over'the table v2 and desiighod-totre ceivether'ian ends or heads and 'remov same to a suitable place ofQristruction and working of 1th1s'riturret. forms'nolportion of thepresent z'oinvention, and-therefore calls for no specific description"herein, the same merely serving toi'llnst'rate 'a c'onvenient form of anasso- V v ci ated instrumentality for receiving the can ends or headsdelivered thereto by the feed 25 mechanism and removing the same eitherto be acted on by other can machinery or to a suitable place of deposit.I

In the operation of the described can end or ,1 head feed mechanism,assuming the holder 4 to be filled with a stack'bf ends or heads 5, asthe slide 14 is thrown forward or inwardly by the action of thefulcrumed lever 17 toward the can end or head holder 4:, the outwardlyinclined surfaces 26 thereof engage with the rolls 13 of thehorizontally swinging arms 9 and '9 and forces or spreads apart the saidarms at their outer end portions, bringing together the inner endportions thereof and forcing the blade 40 sections 11 of said armsbeneath the stack of ends 01- heads 5 immediately above the lowermostone of the stack and by the continued inward movement thereof graduallyraising the entire stack a slight distance, leaving the lowermost one ofthe stack of heads free. As the slide 14 continues its inward stroke ormovement, the inner edge thereof engages 3 with the flange of thereleased can end or head and forces the same from off its seat andthrough the passageway or opening 7 into one of the semi-circular seats24of the horizontally rotatable turret 25 in registry with-thepassageway-or opening 7 to re ceive the same, the said cut-out end orhead being removed by said associated instrumentality to any suitableplace of'deposit.

, On the return or outward stroke of the slide 14, the inclined surfaces26 gradually'move out of contact with the rolls 13 and the action of thespring 12 draws together the outer portion ofthe swinging arms 9 andgradually opening or spreading apart i-ire inner end portions thereofand removing theblade sections 11 fro beneath the stack of 46 can endsor heads, t us allowing the entire stack to lower to place the lowermostend or head thereof in the position formerly occupied by the displacedend or head. The ends or heads are thus successively removed from withinthe holder therefor, and the stack of heads within the holder, with theexception of the lowermost one, gradually raised during the instroke ofthe reciprocating slide 14, while the said stack is lowered on theoutward or return stroke of the said slide. For convenience, thefulcrumed arms 9 and 9 shall hereafter be termed cut-out blades ordevices, inasmuch as the function thereof is to raise the confined stack0" heads to cut out the lowermost one, while so the slide 14 shall betermed a feed slide, due to the fact that its function is to remove thecut out end or head from within the sphere of the holder for the stackto feed the same to the associated instrumentality for receiving thesame for removal to a suitable place on dvlposit.

The cut out blades are actuated to raise the desired ends or heads ofthe stack within the holder during the inward or forward stroke of thereciprocating feed slide, and to open for gradually lowering the stackof ends or heads during the outward or return stroke of the said feedslide, it being understood that owing to the shape of the por tions 11of the cut out blades, the raising and lowering of the stack of headswithin the holder 4 is a gradual. one, so that the lowermost end or headof the stack of heads is gently deposited onto the supporting bracket 3.

The movement of the actuating mechanis m for the feed slide is so timedwith re spect to the movement of the associated instrumentality 25, thata can end or head is delivered thereto only at such times as there ispositioned in alinement with the passageway 7 a semi-circular seat 24 toreceive the cut out end or head.

lVhile the member 25 has been reerred to as a means for receiving thecut out end or head and delivering the samsstq a suitable place ofdeposit, it is obvious that the same maybe dispensed with and anysuitably constructed device substituted therefor to re. ceive the cutout end or head discharged by the feed slide from within the sphere ofthe holder for the stack of ends or'heads, which means, if so desired,may partake of the form of an ordinary runway or a belt carrier fordeliverin the end or head discharged hythe feet lslide to a suitableplace of deposit,"

.In the present case, the can ends or heads are represented as beingnonlined, 2'. e. not provided with a seal liner ring for the flangethereof, and the feed-mechanism as employed for delivering the ends orheads successively to means for conveying the same to an apparatusapplying a ring liner to the curled flange of the said ends or heads,but obviously this is only one use to which the improved feed mechanismmay be applied, inasmuch as it is applicable for the feeding of can endsof any type to machinery generall y in connection with either the canmaking machinery or the canning art.

lVhile I have described the preferred embodiment of the improved can endor head feed mechanism as embraced within a practical, and operativeapparatus for delivering can ends or heads to associatedinstrumentalities in the can makingart, still, I do not wish to beunderstood as restricting or confining the invention to the details ofconstruction of the working parts as herein illustrated and described,being well aware that vari us changes may be made in the operation andconstruction of the working parts Without creating a departure from thenature'and sco of the invention, which resides essential y inautomatically operated means. for raising and maintaining in a raisedposition a stack of assembled can ends or heads, with the exception ofthe one to be cut out, remo'ving said released end or head from withinthe sphere of'the holder for the stack thereof while held in its raisedposition, .andthen lowering the said stack to 3G positionlthe lowermostone thereof to be cut out.

Having thus describedthe 'invfiitionwhat is claimed as new and desiredto be n otected by Letters Patent is':-=

1. In a can/6nd feed mechanism, the combination with a holder for astack of horizontally disposed can ends, of a supporting frame therefor,of horizontallv reciprocating swinging devices t'ulcrumed to thesunp'ort- 40' ing frame for cutting out the lowermost end "of the stackby raising the remainder of said stack within the holder, and slidingmeans co-a'cting with said devices for throwing the same into action andfor removing the cut-out'end fromwithin the sphere of the holder.

2. In a can end feed mechanism, the combination with a holder for astack of can ends, of a supporting frame therefor, of

swinging devices fulcrumed upon said frame for raisin the stack of endswithin the holder wit the exception of,the lowermost one of the stack,and sliding means for re moving the freed lowermost end of the stackfrom within the sphereof the holder and for actuating the swingingdevices for raising the stack of can ends with the exception of thelowermost end thereof.

3. A can end feed mechanism, the same comprising a holder for a stack ofcan ends, a supporting frame therefor, swinging means fulcrumed uponsaid frame, movable into and out of the sphere of said holder adja centthe bottom thereof for raising thestack of ends to cut out-the lowermostone thereoi G5 and lowering the stack after the removal of said end, areciprocating slide for actuating said means and removing from withinthe sphere of the holder the cut out end of the stack of ends.

4:. A. can end feed mechanism, the same comprising a holder for a stackof can ends, a supporting frame therefor. primary swinging meanstulcrumed upon said holder for raising the stack of ends with theexception of the lowermost onc'of the stack and lowering the said stackon the removal of the out out end, secondary sliding means for actuatingsaid primary swinging means and removing from within the sphere of the86 holder the out cut end. mechanism for imparting motion to thesecondary sliding means, and means for receiving the {B11191 end. andconveying the same to a suitabl place-of deposit. In a can endieed---mechamsm tor the described purpose, the combination with afiipporting frame, of an open holder'secured thereto adapted to containa. stack of horizontally disposed can ends, a pair of swingso ing cutout blades pivoted to the supporting frame for engaging the stack of amends to raise the same for cutting out he lowermost end of the stack andlowering the said stack on the removal of the cut outend, ahorizontallyreciprocating slide for removing the cut out end, said slideactuating the cut out blades for engaging and raising the stack of endswith the exception of the lowermost end of the. stack, and means forrestoring the 16% cut out blades to normal position on the re turnmovement of the said slide.

ln'testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscrlbing witnesses.

JAMES A. GRAY.

. l). B. RICHARDS.

